At least 12 Horned Grebes are easily seen on Battle Lake (between the
Shoreline Café and the in-town public access) in central Otter Tail County.
Also, since the icy stranglehold on spring relaxed this last week, suddenly
the lakes are ice-free and warm weather has ushered in a nice influx of
birds.
In the last couple of days, we've seen good numbers of Yellow-rumped
Warblers. "New" sparrow species are Field, Swamp, and White-throated
Sparrows. Also, there has been a nice variety of ducks at the Battle Lake
Treatment Ponds.
We cringed when we heard the loud, sickening thump of a window strike in our
sun room today. A moment later, we spooked a Cooper's Hawk who was in the
process of efficiently collecting and airlifting his stunned prey (an
unidentified black bird) out of the yard. Another Wild Kingdom moment!
--
Dan & Sandy Thimgan
Otter Tail County
Battle Lake MN